"Okay, okay, let's talk aside." The old dog bowed and made a gesture of invitation, not forgetting to give the little monkey a hard knock on the head and scold him, "This is your Grandpa Xiao Yifei. If he scolds you, just endure it, stop talking nonsense."

The little monkey knew he might have offended a tough character, and quickly apologized to Xiao Yifei, "Sorry, Brother Xiao Yifei, I didn't recognize Mount Tai."

"Alright, alright, we're all family here, so let's drop the formalities." Xiao Yifei waved his hand and followed the old dog into the alley.

The group followed the old dog to a pavilion deep in the alley. Xiao Yifei and the old dog sat in the middle of the pavilion, while the little girl and the little monkey stood behind them like two bodyguards.

"No need for this fanfare, just sit down." Xiao Yifei gestured to the two behind him.

"Didn't you hear that? He told you two to sit down, so hurry up." The old dog nudged the two, who immediately sat around Xiao Yifei.

Speaking of this old brother, he and Xiao Yifei have quite a history. When Xiao Yifei was still with the Hua Family, he had a fight with this old dog, and they parted on bad terms. At that time, Xiao Yifei was just an ordinary person, even fearing that the old dog might call some friends from the underworld to retaliate.

Later, the old dog fell ill, suffering from a sexually transmitted disease contracted over the years. He visited many hospitals and doctors but couldn't find a cure, until finally Xiao Yifei resolved his illness.

Since then, whenever the old dog saw Xiao Yifei, he would address him as Brother Xiao at every chance, insisting on accepting Xiao Yifei as his big brother. Xiao Yifei wasn't interested in such things and ignored the old dog, letting him call him whatever he wanted.

Until a few months ago, Xiao Yifei suddenly disappeared while with the Hua Family and hasn't been heard from since. The old brother tried looking for Xiao Yifei, but to no avail, and eventually gave up. He never expected to meet him here today.

"Brother Xiao, where have you been these past two months? Why didn't you let your buddies know?" Perhaps after staying so long in the Ten Thousand Mountains, hearing the familiar Beijing accent again made Xiao Yifei feel a surge of emotions, unsure where to begin.

Seeing Xiao Yifei in deep thought for a long time without saying anything, even with tears glistening in his eyes, the old dog became flustered and cautiously asked, "What's wrong, Brother Xiao? Did you run into trouble?"

Xiao Yifei shook his head. Everyone present were ordinary people who didn't know about cultivators, so he couldn't disclose anything and had to make up a lie: "There were some matters at home these past few months, and I left in a hurry without getting the chance to inform you all."

"Oh my, look at you, with the war going on, how could you still run around? I heard that when you were with the Hua Family, you survived an assassination attempt by an enemy nation's assassin. You're already a top wanted criminal and still wandering around." The old brother slapped his thigh.

"It's nothing serious. The situation back home really needed me. This time, I moved discreetly, so not many people knew my whereabouts, and you see, I returned unharmed." Xiao Yifei forced a smile.

Seeming to remember something, Xiao Yifei asked the old dog, "How's everything in Beijing? Are the Hua Family girls doing okay?"

Upon hearing Xiao Yifei's question, the old dog's expression immediately darkened, his brow furrowed, and he remained silent.

"What's the matter?" Xiao Yifei's keen nose sensed something unusual and asked the old dog.

"It's not convenient to say." The old dog seemed to have some unspeakable difficulties, avoiding eye contact, while continuously fidgeting with the chair.

"Feel free to speak, did something happen to the Hua Family?" Thinking of the girl Hua Yourong who always followed him, Xiao Yifei felt a pang of sadness, wondering how she had been coping in his absence these past months.

"This..." After pondering for a while, the old dog finally made up his mind and recounted all the changes that had happened in Beijing during Xiao Yifei's absence.

"To be honest, after you left, several major events occurred in Beijing. The war broke out, and initially, the Hua Family was fully in charge of the National Security Bureau. However, under the Hua Family's command, the Huaxia Army suffered successive defeats in several key battles. The central authorities felt that it was due to the Hua Family's inadequate leadership, and thus removed all Hua Family members from their positions."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yifei felt as if struck by lightning, for in his heart, the Hua Family had done a great favor for him. He had planned to help the Hua Family save Huaxia after he succeeded in cultivation. Unexpectedly, within a few short months, the Hua Family's power was overthrown.

"What happened next?" Xiao Yifei asked urgently.

The old dog took a popsicle from the little monkey, licked it twice, swallowed, and continued, "You know, the Hua Family upheld high ethical standards, never colluding with those corrupt families. So they had made quite a few enemies in Beijing. When the Hua Family collapsed, those families that always opposed them began to band together to suppress the Hua Family further."

"Even Old Master Hua..."

"What happened to Old Master Hua!" Xiao Yifei was shocked, an ominous feeling rising in his heart.

"Old Master Hua passed away a few days ago." The old dog showed a remorseful expression, sighed, and continued, "Ah, originally, Old Master Hua was still pretty healthy. Without these events, he could've lived another ten or twenty years without issue. But with the state and family crises hitting one after another, the stress took its toll."

The old dog tapped the back of his hand repeatedly, though he usually displayed a carefree demeanor, he had deep respect for Old Master Hua. The latter's death profoundly affected him.

Xiao Yifei also sighed; evidently, these few months were turbulent times. The succession of tragedies left him a bit unable to cope.

"Who's in charge of the National Security Bureau now?" Concerned for the country's safety, Xiao Yifei couldn't help but worry about what would become of the Bureau without the Hua Family overseeing it.

"I really don't know, but according to some sources, it seems like a Li family is in charge now. They were one of the nation's founders, not as prestigious as the Hua Family, but still a notable family in Shangjing."

"What about the war over these months?" Xiao Yifei continued to inquire.

"That I truly don't know. The government has been tight-lipped about the war results, even the rumors are tightly sealed, leaving no trace to be found. But considering the situation in Beijing, it doesn't seem there's any major danger, otherwise the central authorities would've taken protective measures for Beijing by now."

"And you, tell me about yourself. How did you end up in a place like this?" Xiao Yifei suddenly thought of being brought through a Time-Space Rift by Li Huoke, making it incredibly unlikely to encounter acquaintances in this place, yet here he was with the old dog.

The old dog scratched his head, chuckled awkwardly, "Well, the atmosphere in Beijing is a bit tense, and profits are hard to come by, so I came here for some business."

"How far is this small town from Beijing?" Xiao Yifei asked again.

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